mobile website design for libraries
DESCRIPTION
This presentation, given by Steve Butzel at the 2012 Connecticut Library Association conference, covers trends in mobile website design and possibilities for libraries. Library apps are critically reviewed while simpler, less expensive mobile website techniques are favored. In addition, Steve discusses his Online Newsstand Project which improves access to library database content. Steve Butzel, Assistant Director of the Portsmouth Public Library, Portsmouth, NHTRANSCRIPT
Serving Library Patrons in the Mobile Space Steve Butzel
Portsmouth Public Library
“Imitate, Assimilate, Innovate” Steve Butzel
Portsmouth Public Library
Mobile & Smartphone Stats
Two in five cell owners (42%) own a smartphone as of May 2011*
Since 83% of Americans own some kind of mobile phone, this means that one-third of all American adults (35%) are smartphone owners.*
Morgan Stanley analysts predict that the mobile web will be bigger than desktop Internet usage by 2015
* Information taken from 2011 Pew Internet and American Life study, “Smartphone Adoption & Usage”
Quick, easy access to information…
What do our patrons want in the mobile space? What do our patrons want in the mobile space?
When does the library open or close? When does the library open or close?
When is story hour today? When is story hour today?
New arrivals
Does my library have these? Does my library have these?
So keep your mobile site simple!
Back to our users…they’re busy. Back to our users…they’re busy.
Really busy. Really busy.
Apps
http://www.bibliocommons.com
But can we do better?
What are other trends in mobile webpage design?
What seem to be the trends?
A branded banner image
A good attention grabbing visual
Some interactivity, transactions
Easy navigation
Ties to Social Networking Sites
Automatically hide the address bar
<body onload="setTimeout(function() {
window.scrollTo(0, 1) }, 100);"></body>
Other possibilities
Gamification
http://gamesandlibraries.wetpaint.com/page/2011+Games+and+public+libraries
Gamification
http://gamification.co/2011/04/05/find-the-future-at-the-new-york-public-library/
What do you think?
Some technical stuff (Thanks Brian)
Auto-Detect & Redirect Options
Testing on multiple devices
Tracking statistics
Auto-Detect & Redirect: Options
CSS (like Canton Public Library)
Best method, but most takes the most work to
implement
Javascript
Runs in patron’s browser, so not totally reliable
PHP & ASP
Runs on the server, so better than javascript
Auto-Detect & Redirect: PHP
http://detectmobilebrowsers.mobi/
1. Download their main script to your webserver
2. Use their Function Generator to build the code
for your main website homepage
3. Edit your .htaccess to allow .html files to run
PHP code
4. Their FAQ explains everything
Auto-Detect & Redirect
But just in case…
Failsafe Link
Test, Test, Test, Test, Test
Try your new mobile site out on as many
different phones you can find
Online phone emulators
http://www.testiphone.com
http://mobiready.com
http://validator.w3.org/mobile/
Firefox User Agent Switcher
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/59/
Tracking Usage Stats
http://www.statcounter.com
http://www.google.com/analytics/
http://piwik.org
What to look for
Overall usage
Visitor location
Devices used
…all the usual stats
Tracking Usage Stats: Overall Use
Tracking Usage Stats: Location
Tracking Usage Stats: Devices
Other Good Web Resources
One Pager, (http://influx.us/onepager)
Jakob Nielsen, “Mobile Site vs. Full Site” (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mobile-vs-full-sites.html)
“Why We Shouldn’t Make Separate Mobile
Websites” (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/04/19/why-we-shouldnt-
make-separate-mobile-websites/)
Participating Libraries
Participating Libraries
Online Newsstand Project - Gale
Thank You!
@sbutzel (rarely)
603-766-1711
Brian Herzog, SwissArmyLibrarian.net/mobile
My colleagues: Jennifer Moore, Kim McKee,
Heather Armitage, Barbara Bourgoine